17 Nov 2023 23:58:50
Going back to the Shankland discussion. Ferguson was brought up, both of these guys seem to be doing relatively well. Cast your minds back, neither were seen as good enough or even worse, Rangers class.
A recent post, when the Shankland saga resurfaced reckoned that they they weren't good enough at the time!
Their respective clubs would beg to differ.
Ps. Our club didn't want them either or didn't try hard enough.

1.) 18 Nov 2023
18 Nov 2023 07:06:26
Could have took a punt on Ferguson but was he any better than who we had at the time, as with Shankland I think Hearts would price him out of a move to us.

2.) 18 Nov 2023
18 Nov 2023 09:24:47
FullM - agree about getting priced out of players when at their peak (eg Hearts / Shankland) - but we must take a punt on these guys when just breaking through - Shankland was being touted at around 100k way back with Ayr Utd when scoring for fun ( and I said to mates he was worth a punt) - losing the odd player at 100k sits more in my wheelhouse rather than some of the vastly overpriced Donkey failures we have had in recent years where big money has been lost for ever - we need to take a chance on potential who prove it in Scottish leagues too imo - we used to do that with players in past and came good many a time - Tommy McLean/ Davy Cooper/ Neil McCann/ David Robertson to name a few and many many more which u guys could name I expect!

3.) 18 Nov 2023
18 Nov 2023 10:04:28
Blue Floyd I totally agree. I suggested when Shankland was at Ayr that he was well worth a punt. I guess our scouts saw it differently.

4.) 18 Nov 2023
18 Nov 2023 11:02:56
If we signed shankland when he was at Ayr he’d have turned out a totally different player and person because life would have changed and shaped him differently so we may not have the same person’

If we’re going to be signing these guys like yous suggest early then I think we would be signing as example shankland and loaning him out for 12-24 months at a time but extending his contract every time by the same length of time.
Similar to what Chelsea do if not exact.

For example Mccrorie may want away this summer, understand his frustration.
I’d offer him to be loaned out on a 12 month deal if he signs a 12 month extension, I’d tell him this can be an ongoing solution to his frustration.
He’s happy cause he’s playing regular, we’re happy cause he’s tied down, and if anyone wants to buy him if he plays well we maximise the fee and not get hit with the reported £500k which is abysmal.

5.) 18 Nov 2023
18 Nov 2023 11:08:31
Spot on blue Floyd. Could have had Shankland for buttons and Dykes for1m. Deemed not good enough but at that money surely worth a punt. So the question is what Scottish bargains are worth a punt today?
Thoughts guys?

6.) 18 Nov 2023
18 Nov 2023 12:22:10
Ferguson, doig and hickey all needed the move to italy. It transformed Their mindset as players and men. I have no doubt if we signed them they wouldn't be the same players they are now.

7.) 18 Nov 2023
18 Nov 2023 13:05:16
Dykes has scored one league goal
This year he isn’t good enough. Ferguson was always a great player our fans just didn’t want to admit it. Shankland could do a job for us always like him.

8.) 18 Nov 2023
18 Nov 2023 13:57:55
Rangers class what. ?

Ferguson dykes shankland and the lad at Hibs who left can't remember his name.
These four would have improved rangers big time. These guys just need better managers and better teams with better players around them.
It's shankland at Celtic we want I don't care what colours he supports if would play his ass off.
He's getting better as he's getting older but I thought he may just be in his comfort zone so maybe he is happy at hearts.
I think he is 28 still young ye won't make money off him future but if he scores plenty he will make the team plenty so it's a win.
If these players went to the top two teams there level would go up.

9.) 18 Nov 2023
18 Nov 2023 14:23:59
When should we have signed Shankland? When he scored goals at Ayr and eventually at Dundee Utd? Would he have got a game for us at that time when competing with Alfie, Roofe and Defoe? He then went to Belgium and flopped, should we have gambled on him refinding his form . Would we have given him the game time to get his form back the way Hearts did, again given the competition up front at the time I doubt it. Hearts persevered with him in way that we never would have and that's credit to them and him. During last summer for me was the first time that he had been playing in a way that would have made him a good signing for us and in hindsight given what we paid for the striker we did bring in and how bad he is, we should have tried to get him from Hearts. If we had signed someone decent we would not be having this debate.

10.) 18 Nov 2023
18 Nov 2023 14:48:48
Many have came to Scotland and flopped.